Selective Memory – in progress at Chocolate Factory

Caught this last night – Brian Rogers, AD of the Chocolate Factory is sharing his latest work-in-progress this weekend. There’s no 7 train – damn the MTA – but figure out how to get out there and have some free wine. I definitely caught that opening feeling of William Eggleston’s “Stranded in Canton” – the part with his extraordinary daughter simply staring at the camera – throughout the work. I geeked out a bit and sat right behind Brian to watch his process – he’s digging into MAX/MSP for real-time video processing and is playing with moving cameras and multiple projectors. Having seen a very early version of this at the Prelude Festival, it was great to get the next look at a developing work. Madeline Best maintains incredible focus as the solitary live body and subject. When a ghostly projected Madeline appears on the cloth behind her, the doubling and tonal shifts imply nostalgic imagery. As viewers, we are watching both the projected image and the projected image as backdrop for the live feed of Madeline as it is projected onto a head high screen. The textural contrasts provide emotional and temporal variations in a single image. It’s kind of magical and meditative.

Comments

I love this piece. It’s great to see an artist (artists) embark on a formal exploration. The work follows the thread of an idea until it changes, rather than imposing changes upon it. In this way, it feels very organic and alive to me. I love how it confounds (or disregards) the traditional time-and-space confines of theater.
I could watch it for hours and hours.

Definitely. This piece, with it’s drone music, subtle lighting and atmospheric changes, and great use of multi-media, were just awesome.

I got a chance to walk around the set, and check out his camera setup. It’s kind of a testament to acting prowess that there are as many internal display screens for Madeline Best to manage her position, as there are camera feeds for us, the audience.

It was kind of mind-blowing to just see the whole thing charted out, and how many places her focus had to jump to, all on her own.